Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)

Bantwal, May 19: In an accidental fire which got ignited in a house when all the family members were away, everything inside the house including equipment, gold ornaments and cash turned into ashes. The incident happened in a residential complex near Aladka mosque near Panemangalore in the taluk at around midnight on Tuesday May 18.

Firemen attached to the Bantwal fire brigade rushed to the spot and doused the flames. By then, all the things inside the house had been gutted.

The residential complex in which the ill-fated house is located, belongs to Ismail. The family members had left to pay their last respects to a relative who had passed away, when the fire began to blaze.

Firemen from Bantwal who arrived with fire tender and other equipment, extinguished the fire but it was too late.

It is suspected that an electric short circuit would have caused the fire. Electric and electronic equipment, furniture, clothes, gold ornaments and cash were among the things which burnt down. It is learnt that over Rs 50,000 in cash, gold ornaments weighing in excess of 20 sovereigns, and invaluable documents were destroyed. The loss runs into several lacs of rupees as per information.

Local councillor Abubakker Siddique, along with young men from the area joined hands in summoning the services of the firemen and also in dousing the flames.